TV3 airs insightful documentary series about extraordinary Irish people.

TV3 GROUP RELEASE

IMMEDIATE: Friday 11th April, 2014.

 

TV3 airs insightful documentary series about extraordinary Irish people.

 

TV3’s brand new, two-part documentary series ‘Irish Lives’ delves into the world of extraordinary Irish people with real stories to tell from their own personal experiences.

 

 Part 1 ‘My Transgender Journey’ follows three people who have transitioned to their true gender while Part 2 ‘My Extra Chromosome and Me’ tells the story of three people with Down syndrome and how they overcome hurdles.

 

Interviews available on request.

 

Video link available on request.

 

‘Irish Lives: My Transgender Journey’ airs Wednesday 16th April at 9pm on TV3.

 

TV3 will air a two-part documentary series Irish Lives which delves into the world of extraordinary Irish people with real stories to tell from their own personal experiences. Part one, My Transgender Journey airs Wednesday 16th April at 9pm on TV3. This one hour special follows three people, as they search for a sense of their own identity in Ireland, a country that is the only EU member state not providing a legal mechanism for recognition of transgender persons.

 

Sam, Louise and Kay give an up-close and personal account of their transgender journeys and what it is like to live in a country that does not fully accept them.

 

Louise Hannon shares her story as the first transgender worker in Ireland to successfully use the Employment Equality Act in a case of discrimination on the grounds of gender but it was a long and difficult journey. Speaking about a particularly low point in her life, Louise said:

 

“15 years ago I was very low, to the point where I was ready to commit suicide. For a long, long time I didn’t know what was wrong. I had been abused as a child, sexually abused and I had this morbid fear that I would turn out to be an abuser of some sort and it got to the point where I just didn’t know where to turn.”

 

After beginning to see a counsellor, Louise realised she needed to make the transition from male to female and that not addressing this was the root of her unhappiness.

 

UCD student Sam Blanckensee made the transition from female to male with the full support of his family but he still has further barriers to cross. As Sam has not undergone any surgery, he has been binding his breast tissue which can be very dangerous to a person’s health.

 

“You can’t breathe in them [binders], you can break ribs, I developed asthma from wearing them too much. I know a friend who will possibly need heart surgery because it has cut off the circulation to his blood vessels in his heart. They’re really, really bad for you because it doesn’t allow your chest to expand.”

 

 

 

Kay Bear Koss gives an open and honest account of her pending surgery, as well as her struggle to change her name and gender on her American passport. Kay described how a motorcycle accident made her realise she had to accept her true gender.

 

“I went flying over the handlebars. I was mid-air and time froze as it does in those situations and I thought ‘you know what, if you walk away from this you’re not going to get another chance so you better do something and change your life if you want to be happy’.”

 

Part two of the Irish Lives series, My Extra Chromosome & Me, tells the story of three people with Down syndrome and their families, as they overcome hurdles and take part in extraordinary events.

 

‘Irish Lives: My Transgender Journey’ airs Wednesday 16th April at 9pm on TV3.

 

‘Irish Lives: My Extra Chromosome & Me’ airs Wednesday 23rd April at 9pm on TV3.

 

 

ENDS

 

Notes to Editor:

 

Irish Lives

 

TV3’s brand new documentary series Irish Lives delves into the world of extraordinary Irish people with real stories to tell from their own personal experiences.

 

Part one, My Transgender Journey, follows three people, as they search for a sense of their own identity in Ireland, a country that is the only EU member state not providing a legal mechanism for recognition of transgender persons. Part two, My Extra Chromosome & Me, tells the story of three people with Down syndrome and their families, as they overcome hurdles and take part in extraordinary events.

 

Episode 1 “My Transgender Journey”: 16th April 2014

 

All of us struggle with who we are sometimes but this is harder for some than it is for others. Generally we take our gender and identity for granted but what if we didn’t fit into the male or female labels we were assigned at birth? TV3’s Irish Lives: My Transgender Journey tells the story of three people, as they search for a sense of their own identity, strive for acceptance and continue to battle against their own government to be recognised in their true gender as Ireland is the only EU member state that does not provide a legal mechanism for recognition of transgender persons.

 

Sam, Louise and Kay give an up-close and personal account of their transgender journeys and what it is like to live in a country that does not fully accept them. UCD student Sam made the transition from female to male with the full support of his family but he still has further barriers to cross. Louise also shares her story as the first transgender worker in Ireland to successfully use the Employment Equality Act in a case of discrimination on the grounds of gender. Kay gives an open and honest account of her pending surgery, as well as her struggle to change her name and gender on her American passport.

 

Episode 2 “My Extra Chromosome & Me” 23rd April 2014

 

A baby with Down syndrome can be born to any family, to parents of any age, race, religion or social background. It is a chromosomal anomaly, caused by an error in cell division and there is no definitive answer to why it occurs.  Each and every person with Down syndrome has their own unique personality, strengths and weaknesses like everyone else. Irish Lives: My Extra Chromosome & Me tells the story of three people with Down syndrome and their families, as they overcome hurdles, strive for greater independence, and take part in extraordinary events.   

 

Irish Lives: My Extra Chromosome & Me follows Laura, Maeve and Joe, along with their families and friends, as they try find employment, further themselves through education and strive for independence. At its heart, it is the story of a variety of different people who have so much to share about how they see the world.

 

Keen gymnast Laura, 14, makes her first trip abroad without her parents to take part in a Gymnastics competition, while Maeve celebrates her sixth birthday and takes the bus to school for the first time. 46-year-old Joe presents his weekly show on local radio and cooks a meal for his housemates.

 

 

 

For further information
Ciara Byrne – Press Officer – 01 419 3329/087 319 9732

Jean O’Donovan – Press & Publicity Assistant – 01 419 3428

Sharon McHugh – Head of Press & Publicity – 087 922 4143

publicity@tv3.ie                        
www.tv3.ie

 

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